Korea, Democratic People’s Republic of Patent Applications

North Korea’s patent applications rose from an all‑time trough of 5,861.00 in 2005 to a peak of 8,354.00 in 2012, reflecting a modest but sustained expansion of its domestic inventive activity over the eleven‑year series. After the 2012 high, filings fell to the latest 2020 figure of 6,937.00, placing the country at 13th globally and still above Brazil’s 5,280.00 but below Türkiye’s 7,920.00 and Italy’s 10,061.00. The post‑peak decline suggests that the brief surge in the early 2010s was not maintained, possibly due to limited access to international research networks and constrained market incentives. Nevertheless, the 2020 level remains well above the 2005 trough, indicating that a baseline of innovation capacity persists. Continued liberalisation of the research environment, greater exposure to foreign technology and stronger protection of intellectual property could revive the upward trajectory and narrow the gap with higher‑ranking peers.